London retailers felt some welcome relief in September but sales are still below last year's levels, new figures reveal.
Stores in the Capital recorded sales 2.3% lower than those in September 2004, according to the London Retail Consortium's (LRC) latest index, significantly better than August's 11.5% swoon.
LRC said the various promotions and campaigns, such as mayor Ken Livingstone's 'Everyone's London' drive, a month-long series of festivals and events aimed at drawing visitors back into the city centre, provided a modest boost for shops.
But while the events managed to draw the crowds, LRC warned that many tourists and daytrippers are still wary of venturing into central London after July's terrorist attacks.
Though they recovered somewhat from August's plunge, the three-month trend rate of sales growth weakened from 5.9% to 7.3% in September. Sales were also below the UK average for the third consecutive month.
"This is obviously a welcome step up from the appalling level reported in August," said Kevin Hawkins, LRC director. "However, like-for-like sales are still in worrying territory and this is against a soft comparative in September 2004.
"The campaign to get shoppers back into central London succeeded in attracting the crowds, but unfortunately the takings did not match the increase in visitor numbers.
"The reluctance of some UK and overseas tourists to visit the Capital is still a concern and footfall is still below where it should be."
